How much Diatomaceous Earth per 50 lbs. of feed?

Hi Everyone! I have asked a million questions (so it seems) about Diatomaceous Earth. Well I ordered 10 lbs. of the stuff and WOW!! The flies are gone, the lice are gone, and the worms seem to be going away since my birds sound 75% BETTER!! YAY!!!

Anywho - I just bought a 50 pound bag through ebay. I want to work this into their everyday diet. I feed my ducks, geese, chickens, & sometimes the goats all together. I tried separating them, but they just think for some reason that the other animsl food is better so i mix it all up. One scoop of goat, One scoop of layer, Once Scoop of duck pellets, & One Scoop of Crack Corn. I mixed the DE in the layer, since it is finer and it mixed better.. Just a few TBSPs in the scoop. Now my question is.. How much DE per 50 pound bag of feed? Should I mix it into all the feeds? I want to make sure all the animals get enough.

I read before a large coffee can filled per 50 pound bag. Is that accurate? Should I put a coffee can filled in each 50 pound bag of feed? Including the crack corn?

Can I feed a little to my rabbits? Can i mix a coffee can filled in thier 50 pd bag.

Does that also apply to dogs and cats?

I just want to make sure I am doing it right so i dont waste any of it!

One more thing - Read in one of my previous questions about taking a flower sifter and sifting the DE around to elminate flies.. How much should I sift around the barn yard? I only put some around where the goats eat (cause the flies were bad there) and under the chicken coop and the flies are gone! YAY.. but there are some other areas i would like to do and if using the flower sifter works.. i just want to make sure I use enough and not too much.

Internal feeding of food grade diatomaceous earth helps eliminate most internal worms, though possibly not all. Its also excellent when fed daily to keep down fly loads, since food grade diatomaceous earth is eliminated from the body, exactly the way it went in, it helps reduce the manure odor and kills flies that come in contact with it.

Patti.... Ijust looked at your pictures of your home....beautiful. I too love it here on our farm, which is in its early stages too.

The DE will make a huge difference. I just dont understand why more places dont carry it. And when you ask about it, they look at you like you are crazy.

Know that when you start giving it to your creatures they might turn their noses up to it for a while. My two goats did, but now they have decided it is okay. The chickens haven't missed a beat. I need to start feeding it to the dogs and cats.

Thanks Sandra for the info... So u think that taking a pound of DE and mixing it in each 50 pd bag I have, it should work then right?

Where do u store your DE? I want to keep in the barn, close to my animal food.. but not sure what to keep it in. Any ideas?

My chickens free range all day - but still eat a decent amount of feed, so i think they should get plenty of DE.

Thanks Tink for the compliments! I love my place, but it can be challenging.. that is for sure.

I wish more places sold DE too! I went to a couple places and they all looked at me cross eyed too. Then I went to tractor supply and i talked to a lady who said she has been all over and nobody had it and it would be easiest just to order it online.

I called ORDER NOW - Call toll free: 1-877-348-3048
I paid $36 total.....not sure where they are....but they might get you a better price.

I store mine in my shed. I have it sitting in a plastic tub so that it won't get moisture from the ground. I would start out 1/2 coffee can per #50 first. I mixed mine a little heavy and the goats didn't like it at first.
Tink

www.custommilling.com definitely has the best price on this stuff but only if you live east of the Mississippi--shipping is very expensive.
I ended up buying from www.gardenharvestsupply.com 20 lbs for $22 but with shipping =$35 (only a little cheaper than custom milling).
Anyone live in the Rocky Mountains or west that knows of a good dealer?